The invention concerns a device for generating a lubricant spray in a compressed air line, comprising an air passage channel of a housing, a regulating valve, in particular a proportional valve, for changing the free cross-section of passage in dependence upon the pressure difference between inlet and outlet of the air passage channel by means of a control flap, a lubricant supply container connected to the inlet of the air passage channel via a filling valve, comprising a valve body, and connected to the outlet via an oil suction line and an oil sprayer, wherein the filling valve closes at a pressure difference of more than 1 bar.
A device of this type, disclosed in DE-OS 16 01 474, comprises a flap in the air passage channel pivotable against the force of a spring. The filling valve is disposed in the housing below the air passage channel. Assembly and maintenance are difficult due to the large number of individual parts.
DE-PS 21 42 613 discloses a further device having a control flap of the regulating valve formed by a rubber-elastic tongue which bends in dependence on the pressure difference between inlet and outlet to thereby change the free cross-section of passage. A filling valve is not mentioned therein, i.e. the device has to be stopped to refill oil.
To eliminate the above-mentioned disadvantages, it is the underlying purpose of the present invention to further develop a device of the above mentioned kind which is light weight and which has a low number of easily mounted and easily assembled parts to facilitate reliable function.
To achieve this object, the invention disposes the regulating valve and the filling valve close to one another, wherein the control flap of the regulating valve and the valve body of the filling valve are produced from a single piece of elastic material, preferably rubber-elastic material.
In this manner, only a few parts which are simple and inexpensive to produce are required to thereby provide simple assembly.
Manufacturing effort is particularly reduced when the control flap and the valve body are tongues having independent function which are connected to one another via and borne by a support body. The single piece construction considerably reduces the number of parts to also facilitate automated assembly.
Costly bores in the housing are avoided by providing an opening, forming the oil sprayer, in the support body in the area above and downstream of the control flap. The fluttering movement of the control flap vibrating in the air flow produces excellent oil atomization.
Additional parts can be eliminated when the upper end of the opening forming the oil sprayer, shaped as a drip funnel, is part of the support body.
Moreover, the support body can comprise a circular edge projection which is tensioned with the housing via a head which forms, at least partially, a drip chamber. The edge projection consists of elastic, flexible material to thereby simultaneously effect sealing. In this manner, additional sealing measures and fastening means are not required.
To further reduce the number of parts, the filling valve can be fashioned from the valve body, formed as a flexible tongue, and an opening of a housing passage connecting the air passage channel with the lubricant supply container, wherein the valve body closes this opening for increased pressure differences (in excess of approximately 1 bar) between the air passage channel and the inside of the oil container.
Assembly is particularly easy when the air passage channel comprises 2 parallel walls proximate the control flap and when the control flap, formed as a tongue, bends between these walls in dependence on the pressure difference, to open the cross-section of passage to a greater or lesser extent.
Compact construction is facilitated by disposing the filling valve in the housing, relative to the direction of air flow, sidewardly next to the regulating valve and by guiding the suction line through the housing proximate the other opposite side.
Further embodiments in accordance with the invention can be extracted from the dependent claims and are explained, with their advantages, in the following description with reference to the accompanying drawing.